"Friday on Elm Street" Fabolous & Jadakiss

by Panagiotis Argitis - Sports Editor

Sat, Dec 9th 2017 05:40 pm

Two of New York City’s most revered rappers, Fabolous and Jadakiss, have combined their bars for their first collaborative studio album ever. Released on Friday, Nov. 30, “Friday on Elm Street” has a horror theme that explores topics such as unlawful arrests, murder and the hardship of having a dream in a disadvantageous environment.

Produced and co-edited by Swizz Beats, the album’s beat selection is very distinguishable and different from modern hip-hop music. Consisting of the veteran artists’ past career vibes, the album’s musical concept is inspired by 80s rap and culture. Apart from small acoustic contributions from featured artists like Future, Teyana Taylor, French Montana and Styles P, Fabolous and Jadakiss control the entirety of the album’s lyrics.

The album consists of 12 songs that deliver artistic and metaphorical wisdom through old-school styled rhymes. Both artists rap about their experiences growing up in New York City and the personalities they acquired over their time in the rap game.

Filled with subliminal messages about 80s politics, the album begins with “F vs. J Intro”, which introduces Fabolous as Freddy Krueger and Jadakiss as Jason Vorhees, two of the most famous villains of all time; they carry the personas of the 80s movie characters throughout the album’s entire scheme.

Amid the raw rhymes about the gangster-like lifestyles the two artists rap about, the album’s centerpiece of socio-consciousness is projected throughout the piece. Steering away from the artists’ old-school ways, songs like “Can We Talk” featuring Teyana Taylor and “Principles”, take a different approach to the album’s feel by reflecting on the Black Lives Matter movement, the corruption of the American school system and worldwide injustice. This shift within the album provides for a necessary outlook that brings the entire piece together.

Closed off by the album’s last original track, “Nightmares Ain’t As Bad”, before a remix of “Stand Up” featuring trap artist Future, Fabolous incorporates a brief solo that counterbattles the album’s theme of a horror life filled with despair and hopelessness by rapping about dreaming and striving over a mellow beat.

“Friday on Elm Street” turns back the years by offering the hip-hop audience a rare glimpse of pre-2000s rap while maintaining an appealing sound to people who don’t listen to 80’s and 90s rap. The album does not fail to deliver from a lyrical sense. With old-school rhymes and ingenious lyrics on topics that affect society today, Fabolous and Jadakiss have done a great job of touching on different types of concepts. The album is a classical trip to a past era of hip-hop and based on its uniqueness, “Friday on Elm Street” is one of the best hip-hop albums of this year.